October 15, 2026
Thursday, October 15
John 6 is a highly revealing chapter. For one thing, it exposes our fickle, unfaithful hearts. Jesus feeds thousands of people with a spectacular miracle. Then He performs a second, equally astonishing sign by walking on water. But since He won’t capitulate to their desires for an earthly King, they turn hostile towards Him.
This story also shows who Jesus is. He is the bread of life. He has not come to conquer by force, but to fill us to overflowing. He has the power to meet all of our needs, the endurance to outlast all of our flaws, and the love to put us ahead of Himself. Moses was great, but He is greater.
Now the people start to talk among themselves, “Who does this guy think He is?” After all, they know Him. Some of them knew His parents. He couldn’t be the Messiah. He’s just some uppity carpenter from Nazareth. Jesus knows what they’re saying. Instead of trying to make His pitch, to persuade them that He is the One, He says “Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me” (v. 45). Or to put it another way, “The reason you don’t believe in me is that you aren’t listening to what God is clearly saying. If you were in step with God, the way you claim, you would recognize me.”
Exposing their ignorance of God’s will doesn’t exactly bring them around. In fact, v. 66 says, “After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him.” Why was this so hard for them? It wasn’t just because He was putting Himself ahead of Moses. It’s because they had a different idea of what the good life looked like. What they were asking for was bios: Food that would feed them, but wouldn’t sustain them. Jesus wanted to give them zoe, the life more abundant. They wanted an earthly ruler to vanquish their enemies and make them feel triumphant. They wanted a chicken in every pot and two camels in every garage. Jesus—unlike modern political candidates—refused to play the game. He didn’t bow to the whims of the crowd. He didn’t make promises He had no intention of keeping. He offered them what they truly needed.
This marks a transition point in Jesus’ movement. At the start of the day, He’s a celebrity with a huge following. Now, the crowds disappear. He asks His disciples, “Do you want to go away too?” That’s an amazingly poignant question. It shows the sadness that Jesus felt. Not because He longed for celebrity, but because He knew every single one of those people who walked away. He had created them. He had a plan for their lives, hopes and dreams for what they could experience and become, and He was watching them forfeit it all. But Simon Peter (in one of his rare moments of clarity) says, “to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.”
The Twelve got a lot of things wrong in those days, but here when they were tested, they stayed the course. It ought to make us ask the question: “What would I have done in that situation? Would I stick with Jesus, or walk away?”
“Lord, I want to believe that I would have stuck with you no matter what. But you know the true condition of my heart. Increase my devotion to you, and my faith in you. Prepare me to pass every test. In your name, amen.”
Senior Pastor
First Baptist Conroe
More from Pastor Jeff at his website: jeffbergerwriting.com
